


Yellow

by AMGee



Category: The Maze Runner (Movies), The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Character Death, F/M, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Pre-The Maze Runner, Suicide Attempt, The Maze Runner Spoilers, Well not really
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:34:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23672386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AMGee/pseuds/AMGee
Summary: It started in the box.They didn't know where they were. They didn't know what was happening. They didn't know who they were.Then the box stopped and the light began to flood in.
Relationships: Minho/Newt (Maze Runner), Nick/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

A grinding echoed in the ears of the group in the box, waking those who weren't already. Scared whispers, cries and other indecipherable demonstrations of fear filled the air. The air was thick with tension, nobody wanting to break through the silence.

Lines of what the group collectively guessed was sunlight peeked through the panels of the box, casting in enough light to allow the occupants to see the faint outlines of each other, but not much more.

"A-Are we moving?" The question, spoken in a quiet, trembling murmur, almost too quiet to be heard, was not answered. The silence was telling - they didn't know.

A grunt sounded as a boy, his features obscured by shadows, was knocked into a pile of haphazardly stacked crates, sending the heavy boxes tumbling down. A squawk of protest was heard.

"Is there animals in here?"

"Hey! You hit me!"

The movement encouraged the others to announce their issues with that specific mode of transport.

"why can't I remember anything?" 

"I can't either!"  
"Who're you?"  
"Who am I?!"

"What's go-going on?!"

"I'm scared."

At long last, they seemed to shudder to a stop, the lid of their temporary prison lifting on its own to reveal nothing. They couldn't see anything over the top of the box sides.

"Uh, do...do we just climb out?"

The tallest boy stepped closer to the side from the middle of the box - where he had moved to when the crates had begun to fall, "It's too high up to climb, we--"

"The crates - can't we just climb on them?" A girl stepped forward, a calculating frown furrowing her brows, "Maybe there's things in them, but if we leave someone down to throw them up, and then pull up the last person, that should work better, right?"

The boy, instead of arguing, gave a short nod, looking around at each of them before nodding towards a blonde haired boy, "you, Kid, stay down here and pass everything up. We'll pull you up when you're done. Sounds like there's animals in that bigger box - leave that for now."

The girl was the first to climb out after piling the boxes back against the side.  
Glancing around at the empty field and surrounding walls, she looked back down at the box, where six faces - all male - stared apprehensively back at her. "It's fine. Just a big empty field. Come up."

And it was. A huge field, surrounded by huge grey walls that towered over them. There was a wooded area in one corner, but other than that and the box they had been forced to climb out of, it seemed empty.

Piling the crates up beside the box they had been sent in, the girl and the tall boy both held a hand down for the smaller boy, pulling him up.

"Terry!" The group turned to look at the boy who had just exclaimed, and he continued with a grin that could light the whole field, "that's my name! I remember! I'm Terry!"

Frowning, the others shook their heads, signalling that they couldn't remember.

"Where are we?" The girl looked at the short boy who had asked. 

He must've been thirteen at the oldest. His hair was short and curly, framing a round, innocent face. His eyes were wide and shiny, and she felt her heart breaking just by looking at him.

"I don't know, Kid. I don't think we should be going off on our own, though. We should see what we have with us."

"My name's not Kid. It's Leo!" Sapphire blue eyes widened as his mind caught up with what he had just said.

The girl grinned, letting out a gentle laugh, "sure, Kid."

The tall boy who had been giving orders previously stepped forward to be level with her and gave her a slight smile as he knelt down by one of the boxes and began to examine it. "Anyone got a rock or something to open these with?"

Looking around them, it didn't take long to find a few stones and begin prying open the boxes, commenting on what they found.

The tall boy - Nick - had stepped back and was sorting everything they pulled out into different piles - clothes, tools and weapons, and a pile of things he couldn't really categorise. Seeds, different sized squares of material, notebooks, paper and pencils, bags with plastic bottles.

"The animals - they're meant to be food, aren't they?"

The girl muttered a curse under her breath, "let's leave them down there for now. They're not getting out on their own."

By the time the sky had started to darken, the group had remembered their names, but nothing else.  
Nick, who had been looked to for direction as well as his female counterpart, had decided that it was best that they stayed where they were for the night. His point had been supported when the huge towers of concrete had begun to close with a rumble that made their ears ache and hands shake - following that were groans and shrieks from beyond the doors, and the small group of seven found themselves thinking for the first time that perhaps they were safer trapped in here than they were outside.

None of them got much sleep that night, planning on napping in shifts that switched each time the two watchers became tired. None of them were able to sleep until the early hours of the morning, when exhaustion won and the children seemed to fall asleep one by one.

Waiting until everyone except her fellow guard was asleep, their soft snores and breaths mixing with the sickening sounds emanating from beyond, the single girl looked towards his direction, not able to see anything except a slight shape in the darkness - they didn't want to risk alerting anyone (anything) to their presence with the flashlights tucked in the bags they had been sent up with.

"Nick...I know you don't have any answers to the questions we're thinking - none of us do...just, it seems like out there is worse than in here. Do we even want to try to escape? Wouldn't it be better to...I don't know, stay?"

The boy who had looked to be around the same age as her sighed, the quiet sound somehow heard over everything else, shaking his head slowly, "I don't know...do you honestly want to stay here? We need a plan. What do we need to do first? I know we need to get out, but how? We can all hear whatever it is outside, but we don't know what the hell they are. We don't know anything."

The girl nodded her head, lacing her fingers together, not that either of them could see, "I think we need to set up camp here first before we go out there. We can't keep sleeping in the middle of the grass with pieces of fabric as covers. We need somewhere to come back to, because I feel like it'd be pretty bad to be stuck out with whatever those things are. What do we do about food?"

"We need to get order. We need to give them different roles to help. What needs to be done?"

"We need food and water first. It's the most important thing, there's seeds and things, and livestock that got sent up with us. We need an area to keep them animals that're in the box - there's wood and tools...We need shelter - even if it's the shittiest little hut possible."

"So we split into builders and gardeners first? We can leave the animals for now."

"Yep. We can probably figure the rest out as we go. Builders and Gardeners are our first priority. We also need to make sure everyone can defend themselves - what if one of them things get in?"

"Knives and machetes were sent up with us. Can't think of a way to practice with them."

"The trees near the back corner? Even if it just helped to figure out how hard to go or how to hold them, I think it'd help." 

When Nick murmured his assent, the girl scratched her nose, rising to her feet while ensuring that she was being quiet. "Pins and needles," she whispered as means of an explanation.

They stayed quiet for a while, both exhausted from such a mentally taxing day. By unspoken agreement, neither woke the next in line for watch duty.

"They're just kids," the girl murmured, her voice almost lost despite the almost eerie silence.

"I know," Nick leaned back until he was laying on his back. The dry grass tickled the back of his neck. "But we'll look out for them. We'll keep them safe."

"We will."

The silence resumed, each of them lost to their own thoughts, only broken by shrieks and moans in the distance.

"My name's Alice," The girl looked down at the watch strapped to her left wrist, squinting to see the numbers - 4.45AM.

"Hi Alice, I'm Nick." The two chuckled quietly, careful not to interrupt the sleeping children.

It was only ten minutes later that the others in the group began to wake, and Alice had to wonder how many of them had truly slept that night.  
She saw the same question clear in Nick's eyes as she looked up at him.

They both shook their head, almost as one, plastering on fake smiles as they tried to support the younger children.


	2. Chapter 2

As the entirety of the group woke up, folding the fabrics they had slept under and placing them in a mostly-neat pile, and each did their business while the others turned away, Alice and Nick moved to face them all. As the oldest looking, the two of them felt a sense of responsibility for those under them.

It was still quite dark, but the horrific sounds from outside the walls had subsided enough that he felt safe to speak.

"Right," Nick began, clapping his hands together. "Alice and I have been speaking, and we've decided on a plan. It is looking to us like we're gonna be here for the long run. We're going to split ourselves into builders and gardeners for now - these two are our priority. Food, drink and shelter. There's equipment, tools and seeds. We just need to decide who will be doing what."

Alice stepped forward, trying to plaster an encouraging smile on her face, "Does anyone have any knowledge of either of the two? There's seven of us - one group of four, one group of three."

The blonde boy who had helped to lift crates from the box the day before raised his hand a little, a thoughtful expression pinching his features "uh, I feel like I know a bit about planting. I don't know, though - can't remember."

Alice grinned, "great! Thank you, Newt, anyone else?"

Splitting the rest of the group in half, Nick and Alice split up and turned to their separate groups.

Alice turned to Clint, Leo and Terry and gave them a smile, "let's get started! Clint and Leo, will you both be okay to make some sort of pen for the animals down there? Me 'n Terry will make a start on a frame for a shelter. Anyone have any preferences for where they go?"

Terry shuddered, "anywhere so long as they aren't near that forest. It gives me the creeps."

Laughing, Alice, Clint and Leo agreed wholeheartedly. Grabbing tools, they set to work.

"Oi Alice!"

The girl looked up as her name was yelled. Nick was jogging towards her, a notebook in one hand while the other waved madly at her.

The sky had long since brightened, the doors sliding open at exactly 6.00AM, the sun beating down on them until they were sunburned, soaked in sweat and dragging their feet.

The boy smiled, "found this with the crop seeds - well, there were two of them, I kept one. Figured it'd help rather than trying to remember everything."

The girl nodded her head in agreement, watching Terry out of the corner of her eye as he knocked a nail into place. They had almost finished the frame of a building - it was nowhere near done, and definitely wouldn't be done for days, between the two of them, but it would easily fit all six boys and one girl.

"Now that we've made a start on food and shelter - stage one of our plan - do you have any ideas for what the next part is? I'm a bit stuck."

The girl sighed, "the only thing I can think of is going out there. But if those...creatures...are still there...well, we need..." she trailed off, shaking her head, and the boy beside her knew exactly what she was thinking.

He raised his voice, turning to address the others, "hey! Put your stuff down and have a break!" before looking back at the only girl on the field, "come on, let's have a look around. You got a knife?"

"And a machete," Alice stifled a yawn and gestured to the bag she had acquired, resting on the ground a few metres away beside the clothes they had figured were definitely for her.

The two walked the perimeter together, moving away from the walls as they passed the open spaces where the doors had been.

Catching sight of a space of the wall empty of ivy, Alice smirked and moved closser, grabbing her knife.

"Wha--" Nick cut himself off and laughed as she slowly began to scratch her name into the stone before passing him the weapon and gesturing for him to do the same. The others in the group, who had followed a few steps behind instead of resting, were quick to follow. 

Taking a few steps to the left, Nick scratched a single line in the stone, explaining when the others shot him inquisitive looks, "we've survived a night here."

"There's a window!" The blonde kid, Newt, exclaimed from a bit ahead of them. His hand held a fringe of ivy out of the way to reveal a small glass square.

"Well," Alice looked at Nick, "I know my job for tonight."

"Is that safe?" Clint took his turn looking through the small window, "What if they see you?"

The others seemed to have the same worry as they looked at her. 

She sighed, "okay, I'll wait a while, then. We have other stuff to do, anyway, and I could do with a nights sleep."

Nick nodded his agreement, "yeah, we're almost finished with planting. I've got Leo helping me install the water pump - that's nearly done, too."

As everyone began to drift back towards their roles, Alice glanced back at the doorway to the concrete corridor, "what do you think's past there, Nick? We can't see around them corners, and that worries me a bit - well, a lot."

The boy let out a breath, his shoulders sagging as he ran a hand through his hair, "honestly, Alice, I couldn't even start to guess. I think something else on the list should be to send some people out while the doors are open to look around. Maybe...maybe, it's just a door out of here. Won't get my hopes up, though."

Agreeing with him, Alice tossed her bag back on the ground and picked up the hammer she had deposited previously. As he made his way towards where the boy with curly hair was standing, hunched over a slanted pump, he looked back and gave the girl a grin, waving as she got to work on the walls of their temporary house.

As the doors ground closed once more at exactly 6.00PM that evening, though it was still reasonably light, Alice placed her tools in a nearby crate, the others following her lead. 

"So, food..." She looked around at the faces looking at her, pausing at Nick's for a moment before looking towards the closed doors, "personally, I don't feel comfortable killing these animals at all, let alone one day in. I don't think it would be smart to use up all our resources so soon. When Nick and I looked around earlier, we noticed mushrooms and potato plants growing near the forest. I'm thinking if we cook that, I could make fries with mushrooms?"

With their agreement, she smiled, "perfect. Newt, Clint, you two okay to collect firewood and get a campfire started? Leo, can you grab the blankets and fabrics and set them out? Theo, can you come with me to get the food? Nick, is the water pump working? Could you and Terry get water? We need a bucket for cleaning the food, and then whatever you can fill for drinks."

"Aye aye Captain," Leo nodded his head, giving a sloppy salute as he headed towards the piles of boxes.

The forest seemed darker in the dusk, shadows becoming jagged and threatening as the four searched for supplies. Clint kept a close eye on Newt as they moved, Cole doing the same with Theo.

"D'you think this'll be enough?" Theo lifted the bucket in his hands, filled to the top with potatoes. 

Alice nodded her head, "definitely! Can you bring them back to Nick and get a head start on cleaning and cutting them, Kid? I just need a little bit more - can't have you going hungry."

She watched as the boy ran back to the lighter area of the glade, excited with his find.

Newt was quickly sent back, too, arms laden with heavy sticks.

Clint stayed back, watching until the two boys were out of hearing distance between speaking, "I'm worried about them."

When Alice gave him a prompting look, he smiled bitterly, "the kids. Leo, Theo, Terry and Newt - they're kids. This is dangerous. Someone's gonna get hurt." 

His words were accompanied by a screeching wail that seemed too close. The two jumped, beginning to walk back away from the darkest area of their safe haven.

"I know. We - Nick and I, I mean - we're trying to work out the best way to get out. We stayed up last night, and the noises..." She shook her head, banishing the thought, "if we leave, we won't last two minutes."

Clint narrowed his eyes, "yeah, I know you two stayed up. All night. We can all see - you're both dead on your feet. We were meant to do it in shifts...I know being the leaders, you both feel responsible for us, but you both need to rest."

Through furrowed eyebrows, Alice squinted at the younger boy beside her, "leaders?"

"Come on, Alice, don't play stupid; you must've noticed. You two have been leading us. Protecting us. Maybe it wasn't intentional, but you've both become our leaders. You're both in charge here. It's a good thing...anyway, what I was trying to say is...we know you're both looking out for us, but don't run yourselves into the ground doing it."

Alice nodded, smiling and rolling her eyes at him despite her confusion, as they reached the almost-complete campfire, "Yes, Doc."

Nick looked up with a grin, his hand holding a frying pan full of sliced potatoes over the flame, "'bout time you two got here."

The girl smiled, pushing her fringe out of her face, though she didn't say a word. Thoughts whirred around her head, all too fast to complete each one. She had noticed that she and Nick were taking charge, but thought of it more of putting plans in order, rather than leading the others.

"So, Boss," Terry spoke through a mouthful of tasteless potato, "what're we doing tomorrow?"

Alice glanced at Clint, who was trying and failing to hide a smirk behind the jar of water in his hand, then at Nick, who was also looking at her. She gestured for him to speak.

"I think we need to work on getting this shelter finished. A roof over our heads would help a lot, I think. After that, there's a few things that could be prioritised. Livestock - do we wait for them to breed? What's outside those doors? Who goes to look?" Nick trailed off with a shrug, looking at the girl for support. 

She glanced up from the notebook she had been holding, making bullet points of everything he had mentioned. "Does anyone have any other ideas?"

"For the future, no," Leo began, "for now, though, get out of these fu..Uh, shucking clothes!"

For a beat, there was complete silence - not a single sound - but then, Nick let out a hearty guffaw, perfectly in sync with Alice's snicker, "shucking!"

Perhaps it was exhaustion getting to them, but that one word seemed to be the funniest thing any of the group had ever heard. Every time one of them started to calm down, a muttered 'shuck' or 'shucking' set them off again.

Alice let out a breath as she smiled widely at the others, cheeks pink and eyes bright, "well, I agree with Leo. Let's get changed into some clean shucking clothes."

She turned around while the others changed, before they did the same for her. She pulled on the lounge clothes they had been sent up with - a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants with underwear - and tossed her sweaty clothes into an empty crate with the others. 

As they sat around the fire once more, leaning in close to the heat, Nick smiled at each of them, his warm brown eyes kind and gentle, "we're gonna get out of here. It's gonna be okay."

Alice nodded her agreement, hiding her apprehension behind a wide grin, "we are. It's gonna be okay."

The two couldn't help but notice that the other had made no promises. 

They shared a quick glance over the fire, the scarlet heat lighting up their features.


	3. Chapter 3

Five lines on the stone. Five days in.

They were in a maze - this had been realised on the second day, when Nick and Newt - the fastest of the group - had gone to check out the first few turns of the corridor. Realising this, Alice and Nick tested each of the group - each person ran around the perimeter of the glade, timed by the identical watches on Nick and Alice's wrists.

Leo and Newt were the fastest, were able to pace themselves well. Alice passed them a bag each, took off her watch and handed it to Newt. "Do not split up. Under any circumstances. Come back before six. Be here before five, in fact. You both have notebooks, pencils, water, food. Get back."

The two made sure to do this, always on time. Always with immaculate notes and diagrams.

That was the first problem, they later realised. It didn't matter that they had notebooks and pencils and paper back at camp - the routes changed.

It was 5.55PM. They weren't back yet.

Five of the group stood anxiously by the door they were expected to come out of. 

5.57PM.

"There they are!" Alice exclaimed, pointing towards the corner, where the two were sprinting.

"Come on!" Nick jumped on the spot, his hands locked tightly together.

5.59PM.

Newt came through first, then Leo.

There was a tear, heard by everyone. His pack tore, falling from his shoulder to the floor. The group watched as if in slow motion as the boy skidded to a stop, reaching to grab the bag as the doors began to close.

"No!" Clint lunged forward, "Leo!"

Newt turned, pale and shaky, out of breath, hand reaching towards the closing door.

Leo stood still, frozen. His eyes moved, as if trying to force himself to run. He didn't.

"Come on, Leo!" Alice stepped forward, ready to run to the scared boy. Nick grabbed her wrist tight enough to keep her in place, his other hand grabbing Clint's.

"Come through!" Terry's eyes were shiny.

The doors slammed closed, louder than ever before.

"Leo!" Alice yelled, voice choked by the sudden lump in her throat. She couldn't breathe, "hide!"

The group stayed there all night. They heard the same groans and moans as usual, but this time they were pierced by yells, cries and screams.

They frequently shouted his name, but never received a response. That was the worst part.

It was cold. There wasn't any wind, but it was cold. Close to the walls, shadows left everywhere pitch black. They didn't care.

Nick's hand had long since released Alice's wrist, but with every noise, she held his. He held her tight, an arm around her shoulders and a hand holding hers.

The six of them sat on the grass, eyes staring straight ahead at the concrete doors. It had been deadly silent for hours, and they knew what that meant, even though they wanted to pretend they didn't.

"'M scared," Alice admitted in a murmur, leaning close to Nick so not to be heard by the others. It was quiet, they probably heard anyway, if they were listening. It didn't look like they were.

Nick nodded, squeezing her hand gently, "me, too."

They didn't speak again. Not until the doors rumbled and opened again, revealing an empty corridor. A trampled bag on the ground.

Alice turned to the others, her eyes stony and face blank, "Nick, you watch everyone. I'm running it."

The man shot to his feet, "like hell, Alice. Have you got a death wish?"

Everyone flinched at the phrasing.

Clint rose as if in a daze - he'd really bonded with the kid, "Alice, Nick's right. You don't know the place. You need someone there with you. I'll go."

The girl agreed, "right, good that. Nick, mind the kids."

Nick nodded, obviously still not happy with the decision, "you got a minute, Alice?"

They moved to a quieter area, near the forest, and the boy finally gave a sigh, "I know the others are in denial at the moment, Alice. Don't join them. Keep your head on, alright?"

"Alright."

"come back, Al. I don't care what happens. Just come back, okay?"

She gave a weak smile, "yeah."

"I'll go get your bag."

"Hey, Nick?"

"Yeah?"

"I want dinner made by the time we get back."

Newt was quiet - well, quieter than everyone else. His shoulders were hunched as if protecting himself. Alice stopped by him as she passed, "Newt, it wasn't your fault, you know?"

When he gave her a doubtful frown, she shrugged helplessly, "it wasn't anyone's fault - not yours, not Leo's, not anyone's. Except, that is, those bastards that sent us here."

Newt nodded almost indecipherably, something in his face clearing slightly, "don't run the whole thing. You won't get back. Walk, pace y'rselves." 

He slipped the watch off his wrist and gave a slight smile, lacking its usual spark or humour, "back to you, Boss."

Clint and Alice turned the first corner quickly, staying at a fast walk so not to tire themselves out too soon. They glanced around, noting anything unusual on their pads. Of course, not being constant runners, neither of them had absolute knowledge of what exactly was abnormal.

As they reached a crossroads a mile in, the two sat down for a rest and a drink. Neither of them spoke for a while, sipping at their waters and just thinking before Alice gave in with a sigh.

"Clint?"

He gave a low grunt, not exactly a response.

The girl sighed, leaning over and wrapping her arms tightly around the boy, holding him together. 

He stayed stiff for a minute, and just as Alice was preparing to pull away, he fell apart. Heart rending sobs, muffled by her shirt, escaped his lips as he held her just as tight as she held him. His fingers pinched the skin of her arms to the point where she knew she'd have bruises, but she didn't mind. Tears dampened her shoulder, visible on the light grey material, but she didn't mind; his top looked the same.

They stayed there for a while, just breathing and grieving, before Clint sighed, "we need to commemorate him."

Alice agreed, "we will. I promise...Let's keep going."

The boy rose to his feet, holding a hand out for her. She took it, being pulled to her feet, and passed him his bag, before they continued, turning down the left corner. They wished they hadn't.

A shoe lay innocently on the ground. It wouldn't have seemed much, but they knew that shoe very well. It was Leo's. 

This was confirmed when Alice fell to her knees beside it, while Clint stared ahead blankly. There was a mark on it; his name. Leo.

Acid rose in her throat and she turned to the side, heaving as she vomited the bile that was left in her stomach. Tears mixed with saliva as she spat out the vomit on the ground, away from his shoe.

She looked up at the hand on her shoulder, the bottle of water held to her lips.

Clint knelt beside her, comforting her as she had him. His hand stayed steady on her shoulder, the warmth keeping her centred. 

"Come on, Alice," he sighed, "let's take Leo back."

The girl sniffed, nodding slightly, wiped her eyes, and picked up the shoe. She held it close to her chest as they walked back, slower than before.

The group were at the campfire as they approached, solemn expressions staring at the lit fire. 

Nick looked up as the two sat down, but his face crumbled as he saw the shoe clutched in Alice's hands. He nodded in silent acceptance, blinking quickly as he moved closer and took one of her hands in one of his own..

"To Leo," he toasted, raising the untouched jar of water clutched in his shaking hand.

"To Leo," the others repeated in unison, right as the doors closed once more.


	4. Chapter 4

Alice sat under the tree, a square of fabric and a knife in her hand. Carefully, slowly, she cut thin strips off, lining them all up by one another. Her legs were curled beneath her, bent impossibly uncomfortably, but she had lost feeling in them hours ago, so it didn't bother her particularly in the moment.

She started with three strips of fabric, twisting them together in an intricate pattern that she didn't think she'd be able to replicate again. The repetitive movement relaxed her, while forcing her to concentrate, allowed her to think without letting her think too much. She rubbed at the grass stain in the corner for a moment before giving it up as a lost cause. 

"Hey, Ally!" The girl looked up from the entwined fabric between her fingers, smiling at the boy as he jogged over.

"Hi, Nick. Is everything okay?"

He gave her a nod, "everything's good. The homestead's finished. Roof on it and all."

She smiled, "that's good. That's really good."

He noticed that the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. "What's wrong, Alice?"

The girl sighed deeply, leaning back against the tree trunk and straightening her legs, groaning when the blood rushed to her legs, burning. "It's just — I don't know how to explain it...it's like, we're building somewhere to sleep. A homestead..."

Nick finished off what she wasn't saying, "it feels permanent."

Alice nodded, tying off the end of the fabric and beginning on the next three strips.

"It's just so that we can be more comfortable while we work out how to get out. We can't keep sleeping on the grass with just a thin little cover. It's gonna get too cold for that. It's just for a little longer." 

She twisted her fingers, thinking. "How's...how's everyone doing?"

Nick chuckled, his face open and kind, "you've only been gone an hour, Al. Newt's gone to run with Terry. It's okay, they're gonna be back on time."

She watched as he sat down beside her, crossing his legs and pulling a notebook and pencil from his pocket. He opened it to a page with a half-completed drawing of the homestead and smiled bashfully when he noticed Alice's curious gaze. "It's relaxing, lets me think but not too hard."

She nodded in agreement.

He glanced down at the braided fabrics on her lap, "what're they?"

Flushing, Alice looked to the right, avoiding his eyes as she spoke, "bracelets." Her voice was less than a whisper, and he could barely hear it.

Alice was surprised when Nick placed a soft hand on her wrist, "well? Where's mine?"

Later that night, Nick would think about the smile he received. Her face lit up, the tiny dimple in her cheek - just at the left corner of her lips - fully visible, her beautiful, deep, kind green eyes shined happily, a twinkle that he didn't think he'd ever seen before. Her eyes were the same colour - maybe a shade or two lighter, he'd have to look again - as the ivy that crawled up the walls, reaching higher than their bare eyes could see.

With an embarrassed smile, her cheeks, neck and ears pink, she passed him the first bracelet - the one with the tightest braids, the one with the miniature grass stain in the corner.

"Tie it for me?"

"Can I have one?" The two looked up to see Theo standing there, shy smile on his lips.

Alice's smile was heavenly as she nodded her head, picking up one of the fabric bracelets and tying it gently around his wrist.

"Thanks, Boss!"

"Don't call me Boss," Alice scolded, laughter in her tone.

"Thanks, Mom!"

The sound of the girl choking on air sent the boy doubling over in laughter, Nick watching as Alice rolled her eyes with a soft quirk of her lips.

The finally completed homestead was not perfect. Not even close.

It wasn't neat and tidy, there was a slight gap in the roof where one piece of wood hadn't been long enough, but it was good enough for them. Alice and Clint had sewn squares of spare fabric together, attaching them to wooden poles to create a canopy outside that would shield them from the sun - it wasn't the best, but would at least provide a bit of shade.

It wasn't long until Newt and Terry returned, added the day's map to the papers before joining them in the completed homestead. They, too, were given bracelets, both seeming in awe of the gift.

Clint was outside, at the back of the forest - he went there every night.

Alice, noting his absence instantly, looked at Nick while Newt, Theo and Terry spoke.

"Can you take these to Clint? One's for him...the other's for Leo. He needs you more than anyone at the moment."

The boy gave her a nod and sad grin, wrapping an arm around her shoulder for a moment before taking the two braids and leaving the building.

"Where's Nick gone?" Newt asked, the most observant of the three, or the most likely to ask. The others were looking at her, too.

"He's gone to talk to Clint, Kid."

Footsteps alerted him to someone approaching. 

"It's me. It's Nick."

Clint sighed, shoulders collapsing at the sight of the man, recognisable despite the thick shadows.

Nick looked past him, at the plaque nailed onto the tree trunk, above where his shoe had been buried.

"I miss him, too."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. He was just a kid. It's not fair."

"It's not."

They stood in silence, both staring at the plaque for a moment before Clint took a deep breath.

"You have Alice, I know you two are closer than any of us. Newt, Theo and Terry get on well...Leo was my friend." He paused, as if wondering whether to admit something.

"While we were looking, we cried. We didn't know what had happened. We still had that tiny bit of hope that he'd just be resting around the next corner." He took a deep breath, pushing his hands against his eyes. "Alice got sick when she saw the shoe. I didn't. I didn't feel anything. I didn't cry after I saw it. Not once...why? He's dead. He's dead and he's not coming back. Why can't I cry? Why does it feel empty?"

Nick shook his head, but didn't speak for a minute, thinking about how to phrase his words. Clint didn't think he was going to reply, but then he spoke. "When those doors closed, Clint, we didn't cry. We shouted when we heard even the slightest hint that he might be alive. We shouted for him, or we stayed quiet. We didn't move, didn't say anything, because we were waiting for a hint that he was alive...when the doors opened again, I didn't know what's I was gonna see. I didn't know if he'd be there...dead...I hoped not, I hoped he'd be just stood there, waiting to get back in...when we had nothing, we had hope that maybe he was hiding. We found his shoe, and it became real." 

He turned to look at the younger boy, "when Alice brought back the shoe, I was glad." He raised a hand when Clint went to speak, "no. I was glad because it was proof that he was dea-...dead. That he wasn't in pain. It was closure for me, because I knew we weren't going to find him."

Clint nodded finally, "I guess that's how I feel...yeah...yeah, it is."

Nick clasped a hand on his shoulder, passing a braided strip of fabric to him, "Alice made them. Bracelets. One for all of us. Wanna bury Leo's?"

"...please...can you stay?"

"If you want me to." 

He did. His hand stayed in the same place - gripping Clint's shoulder enough to show that he was there - as they buried the bracelet beside the shoe and said 'goodbye'.


	5. Chapter 5

31 marks. 31 days.

Instead of the grinding doors waking them, it was a blaring alarm. Alice shot up from her place, falling from the box she had been sleeping soundly on top of. She scowled as she pushed herself back to her feet, dusting the dirt from her pants.

"Shuck!"

The others seemed to be in the same situation, Newt covering his ears as he glowered at the closed door like it was his biggest personal enemy. He never was good being woken up on a non-Run day.

"Get your knives," Nick ordered, doing so as he spoke quietly but fiercely. His eyes found Alice's, a slight frown shared, showing neither of them knew what was going on. He tilted his head, silently telling her to stay back.

Alice grabbed her machete, pushing to the front of the group and giving Nick a warning glare. Checking that everyone behind her was standing and holding a weapon, she pushed the door open.

Nothing seemed abnormal. As one, the group moved towards the box hole, which was where the noise seemed to be coming from. They made sure that Newt, Theo and Terry were at the back of the group.

As they got closer, the noise quietened down until it completely disappeared. As if it had never been there.

Nick stepped in front of Alice as they approached the hole where there was a box waiting, the lid held open. The two of them peeked over the side, their weapons held in front of them, stumbling back at what they saw.

"There's someone in there!"

"You're taking the —" Newt leaned forward, staring down at the boy sat in the box. He was curled in the corner, his long legs pulled close to him.

Alice smiled down at the boy who was looking at them with fear in his eyes, he must've been around sixteen, just a little younger than the two believed they were. Still, just a child, "hi there, Kid. You need a hand out of there?"

Sure that the danger was over, Clint retreated to the homestead, grumbling curses under his breath. When nobody went running, they all lived to sleep in a little, to feel like they didn't have such huge responsibilities; they always ended up waking around six, regardless, but they would have preferred to have the choice.

She and Nick both held out a hand, sharing a grin at the familiar gesture. When the boy stood up, they pulled him up, watching as he stared around in bewilderment at the still-dark but quickly brightening glade.

"Bring up the supplies, Nicky, Kids...I'll take the baby for a walk."

The group laughed as she placed a soft hand on his elbow, gently pulling him along. "I know it feels weird, Kid. It does for us, too. We've had supplies sent up, but never a person...well, except for us...I'm Alice. The other guy that pulled you out is Nick. We're kind of the unofficial leaders around here. The blonde kid, he's Newt. Terry's the boy with red hair. Theo's the one with lighter hair. You'll meet Clint later, you, uh, haven't seen him yet...um, I don't really know what to tell you. We don't remember anything, just our names - you'll remember that later, I guess - we don't know why we're here, where we are or how to get out. Any questions?"

"Alby."

"Huh?"

"My name. It's Alby."

The girl grinned, showing all her teeth. He wondered, could that smile really be genuine? "Alby. Nice to meet you. There's not really anywhere to show you around...the homestead is there, where we sleep...the box is there, it brings up supplies. Gardens are over in that corner, animals in that one. The forest, it's over there. Feel free to go in, just...be careful near the back corner."

"Why?"

She lost the smile and her eyes dimmed and he knew instantly that it was the wrong thing to ask. 

Instead of looking at him, Alice looked down at the grass as the toe of her shoe dug into it. She knew that Nick wouldn't be happy with her if he saw she had been making holes where they weren't needed again.

"We had another one of us. Leo. Our friend." She sighed, "you don't come back out of the maze after spending the night...we don't...just don't mention his name in front of Clint, okay?"

"Okay." He didn't really know or understand what he was agreeing to, but the serious expression on her face scared him.

"The maze...as you can see, there's four doors. All closed at the moment. One on each wall, right?"

"Right?"

"Don't go in there. Not if you're not Running. It's a maze, changes every night. That's when they come out - the monsters - we don't know what they are, never seen anything like them before. Just that you don't wanna end up near one of them...Runners...we have two at the moment; Newt and Terry - they run the maze every other day, map out the layout. Try to find a pattern. We've been trying, it's hard...while they run, we do things here...we've built the homestead and everything, planted crops, are raising the animals. We don't slack- you won't either. We can't afford to...any questions?"

"No. But I'll ask if I do."

"Ally! You got him settled?"

The girl smiled at Nick, giving him a nod, "yep. Nick, this is Alby. Alby, this is Nick, my unspoken co-leader."

The boy gave an easy grin, "hey Alby. You doing okay? I know it's a lot to take in. You should've seen us when we got here. Looked like steamed klunk."

While Alice laughed, Alby frowned, tilting his head, "steamed...klunk?"

"Oh! Our word. Basically 'shit'. Don't like cursing around the kids."

"Right, klunk." He tried the word - it felt unnatural on his tongue.

Nick grinned encouragingly, "you'll get used to it, Alby. Anyway, Al, Clint wanted to ask you about something."

"On it, Nicky."

As the girl sped away, Nick waited until sure she wouldn't be able to hear before turning to the boy with an unusually stern expression on his face, "look, you're new 'round here. I didn't think I'd need to give anyone this speech. Just, give Alice even the slightest bit of trouble because she's a girl, and I'll end you. After she's finished with you, that is."

Alby nodded quickly, "of course I wouldn't."

"Good to hear. Now, I'm gonna take you to meet the others. They're great, you'll like them."

"C! Our esteemed leader sent me to answer your questions!" Alice smiled at the boy hunched over the thin piece of wood he was holding, the knife in his hand cutting patterns into it. He sat on the edge on his hammock, swinging slightly as he cut into the wood. 

A slight smile graced his lips, and she felt bad for disturbing him while he was so at peace - something rare for the boy who had changed so much in just the very short month she had known him.

"Uh, no...I don't have any questions." He gave her a frown, "you sure he said that?"

"Definitely. I don't know why he sent me away, then...he's with the newbie right now."

Clint's eyes gained a light, his smile showing that he knew exactly what was going on.

"Clint? What?"

He didn't respond, an irritating grin overtaking his features.

"What? Clint! What?"


	6. Chapter 6

"We don't slack." Alice had said.

Alby took that to heart as the day began. 

He watched as the group woke at almost the same time, noticing how Alice and Nick seemed to have already been awake when they got up. They didn't stumble around, both being the first to get dressed and start a fire up for breakfast. He could hear muffled words through the walls, a conversation between the two leaders, but they weren't loud enough for him decipher.

He shrugged on the clothes that had been sent up with the box alongside the others - Alice had stepped behind a wall that had peen put in place for the purpose of privacy.

It was still dark outside, just past 4.30AM. He wondered whether they usually woke at this time.

The fire was still burning, albeit weakly, but it picked up as Terry and Theo stacked a few extra pieces of wood on it.   
"From the crates you came up with," Theo explained, noticing the confused expression on his face. "Better than wasting good wood on a fire."

They ate breakfast together around the fire, slightly burnt bacon with slightly raw eggs. The group didn't seem surprised by the state of the 'meal', tucking in with vitriol.

"Any chance you can cook?" Nick quipped, elbowing Alice affectionately, feigning a pained flinch when she paid him back in the same, "if not, you'll have to survive on this klunk."

The boy laughed with them, feeling calmer by the second, "sorry. I think this'd seem a feast compared to anything I made."

Alice sent him a fake frown, breaking into laughter as she watched the others succumb.

Finishing the meal, they sat in a calm silence. Newt and Terry were running again, so were the first to leave the group, checking and double checking that their bags held everything they would need. Alice was with them, checking the bags themselves - extra stitches had been added with vines fashioned into thread for further security.

"What do you want me doing?"

Nick looked at him, face blank, "we have a lot that needs doing. Animals need taking care of, crops need checking and more need planting...we've got that covered. Could do with another Runner, I guess. What would you prefer, Alice?"

The girl turned around, "I can take him out to see how it goes?"

Nick shook his head, "no chance Shank, I'll go. You need to stay here."

Newt, rising to his feet, gave a quiet sigh, "I'll take Alby out to the maze. If someone does the run with Terry. We'll only be gone a few hours. We'll go the opposite way to Terry and whoever. Just a look around, not a full run."

Nick and Alice seemed to have a silent conversation, both frowning before Alice spoke, "Newt, take Alby out. Clint or Theo, one of you take Nick's watch - we want all four of you back by 3.00PM on the dot. Any later, and I'll come after you all. Go grab the bags and come back for checks."

Clint rose to his feet, volunteering to go with Terry, and led Alby to get their gear.

"Checks?" Alby questioned as the two entered the homestead and Clint opened one of the crates - the one Theo had been sleeping on.

The older boy passed him a bag. "We do checks before the Runners leave every morning."

He didn't elaborate, turning and leaving the building.

Alice fussed over their bags, checking that the straps were strong and sturdy. Nick gave Clint his watch, double and triple checking that it was working before he handed it over.

They stood by the doors once more, watching quietly as they were dragged open.

Alice, Nick and Theo waited a few steps back as the four entered in pairs, splitting up at the end of the first corner.

"They'll be okay, won't they?"

Nick gave Theo a grin when Alice didn't speak, "of course they will, Kiddo. Now - our jobs..."

The girl finally let out a breath as they turned from the doors, "Theo, can you feed the animals and water the crops?"

As the boy walked away, Alice began to speak quietly, almost a whisper, "I want to try and climb the walls. See the layout."

Nick hummed, thinking over it, and ran a hand through his hair. He had developed the nervous habit. "I'll climb up now."

"No."

"No?"

The girl smirked, "no. You're too tall and lanky. You'd fall or something. I'm smaller and weigh less - it'd be easier for me to get up and back down again."

With her reasoning, he sighed and gave in.

"Perfect. Now, I think the best place is near the forest - if I fall, I'm gonna land on something...oh, Alby needs to put his name on the wall."

Theo approached, noticing that they'd begun to approach the wall, "something up?"

Alice grinned, "I'm gonna try to climb up. See what the maze looks like."

Theo shared a nervous frown with Nick as the girl grabbed onto a gap in the stone, pulling herself up. She wrapped part of the ivy around her wrist, moving a bit higher.

The palms of her hands were covered in scratches from the stone, tiny beads of blood at the surface as Alice forced herself to climb higher.

She yelped as her grip faltered, sending her tumbling back down. Her grip on the ivy kept her close to the wall, her head bouncing off it with a crack as she landed in Nick's arms.

"You're not going back up there."

Alice let out a murmur, closing her eyes.

"N'ck?"

"Yeah, Al?"

"'ll l'st'n to you n'xt time..."

"Good. I'll remind you of that when you're not passed out in my arms."

Nick looked down at her, at her eyebrows pinched together in pain, the left eyebrow bloody from the gushing cut on her forehead. Her hands clutched his t-shirt, and he didn't think she was going to let go.

The younger boy trailed behind nervously as Nick carried her to the homestead.

"Theo, grab me a wet cloth, will you?"

He dipped the piece of fabric in the bucket of water left over from putting out the fire earlier, before running back inside to where Nick was hovering over the girl, tripping in his nervousness and knocking over the bucket. He hoped it wouldn't be needed urgently before he had a chance to refill it.

The four Runners returned to the homestead later to see an unconscious Alice leaning against Nick as the three sat around the fire.

Seeing the cut stretching across the girl's head, Clint jogged the last few steps, "what happened?!"

Nick scowled, hearing the slight accusation in the tone, "she had the bright idea of climbing the wall. Fell."

The boy leaned over her, gently poking the sides of the wound, dried blood keeping it closed, "really could've done with stitches. That's gonna scar."

Nick nodded, sighing quietly, "I know...well, for future reference, we don't climb the walls."


	7. Chapter 7

135 marks. 135 days.

Months dragged on, a new 'Greenie' being sent up each month. It fell to Alice to talk to them each time, with Nick interrupting and sending her away while he spoke with them at the end.

There had been three more boys sent up, all too young, too innocent to be in such a place.

Alice suppressed a smile as she ate her dinner - they had, fortunately, been sent a boy, Siggy, who was a genius with food. Since he had been sent up a month ago, they hadn't been hungry once.

Their newest, Minho, smiled at her from across the circle they were sitting in. He had been quiet, almost silent, speaking in only the softest of whispers for the first couple of days of his life on the glade. Fortunately, once he was used to the makeshift routine, he had grown a sudden backbone. He had been learning to Run to maze with Newt, who was their most trusted. They seemed to get on well, though Newt was a lot closer to Alby.

Gally, the second, had not been an instant hit with them all. His surly attitude irritated the original group, despite their understanding of what he was going through, but after a thorough talking-to from Alice and then Nick, he had loosened up a little. He and Theo were their best for building anything that was needed.

He had, however, earned himself a lot of points when he had joined the group one night with a crate full of jars filled with some foul smelling and tasting concoction. Alcohol.

He had lost just as many points the next morning, unfortunately, when Siggy - or Frypan, as he had been named - had been too hungover to keep an eye on the food, and it had subsequently become multiple blocks of inedible charcoal in a pan. Gally had been left to clean that.

"Alice," Nick murmured as he approached from inside the Map Room, where he had been speaking with Newt and Terry, he leaned down to speak quietly into her ear, a semblance of privacy despite the fact that everyone was close enough to hear perfectly, "you got a minute?"

She grinned up at him, "for you, Nicky, I have as many as you need."

Clint snorted, taking a sip of his water and avoiding looking at the two.

They stepped away from the gathering, moving around to the side of the forest, where none of the others could hear. Alice leaned back against a tree as she waited for the boy to speak.

Nick let out a gust of air, pushing his hands through growing hair. "Somethings wrong. Isn't it?"

The girl glanced around and then down at her hands, shoulders slumping as she sat on the dry ground beneath the tree, gently patting the space next to her.

"One hundred and thirty-five. That's how many days we've been here. Leo was murdered when we hadn't even been here a week, Nick. We're not getting out. We're gonna die in here." She grabbed a handful of grass, releasing it and watching as the blades floated back to the ground in the still air.

"We've survived one hundred and thirty-five days here. We're surviving, Ally. We're gonna keep going, and we're gonna find a way out."

"It just feels like there isn't any point," the girl sighed, resting her head against the tree trunk.

Nick glanced at her, the delicate lids, the slight upturn of her nose, the freckled cheeks, the sunburn that graced her cheeks and nose. He smiled, "let's make one."

"You can't just make one, Nick." She rolled her eyes, idly scratching at her wrist.

His eyes followed the movement, but he shook it off, "sure we can...we're gonna get out of here one day. What do you want to do when we do?"

"I don't know," the slight furrow in her brow, the way she bit her bottom lip as she thought, "I don't remember what's outside. What do you want to do?"

Nick smiled, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She slid to the side, leaning against him. "Anything. Everything...I think I'd drag you to somewhere with no walls...somewhere free and calm and safe."

"I like the idea of that," she murmured against his shoulder, closing her eyes. It warmed her heart that he thought of her in the same thought as freedom.

They stayed sat there for a while, just thinking and watching the group in the distance. Nobody disturbed them.

As it grew darker, to the point where the only thing they could see through the dense shadows was the flickering of a fire in the distance, disappearing every so often for a moment when someone shifted and moved in front of it. It grew colder, the icy still air cutting through their thin t-shirts, but neither of them moved, comfortable where they were sitting on the cold, hard ground beneath the tree.

"What's your favourite colour?"

Nick was pulled from his silence, looking down at the girl he was holding. "Green. A bit lighter than the ivy on the walls. That's my favourite colour."

Alice nodded, not understanding the sudden tenseness in his body. "I think mine's yellow. Like the flowers growing near the water pump. It's different - we don't see a lot of yellow here."

The boy murmured his agreement, "why'd you ask?"

Pushing a strand of hair behind her ear, she explained, "we all talk to each other. A lot. But we don't really talk. I mean, I know your name's Nick, I know that you're kind, funny, smart, a good leader...but I don't know some things. I want to know the basics - the things that make you...you."

"What's something you want to do that you can do here?"

"I want to have a day where nothing goes wrong. Where everyone's happy and together. You?"

Nick rubbed the back of his neck with his free hand, already feeling the back of his neck heating up as he thought about what he wanted to say, and the pondered over whether he wanted to tell her that. "I want to draw you. Everyone else, too. Mainly you."

The smile she gave him made his heart melt. 

"Uh, what's something you've never said to anyone before?"

"That I'm just as scared as everyone else. And you?"

"That you're my favourite thing about this hell."

The boy smiled at her, placing his chin on top of her head, where it was still nestled in his shoulder, "and you, Ally. And you."


	8. Chapter 8

Alice and Nick were always the first to wake. In over three and a half months on the glade, they had never so much as thought about sleeping a little later.

That changed.

The two woke at 6.15AM, after the doors had been opened - neither of them knew how they could have missed that. 

Sitting up on the crate she had been sleeping on the past few months, Alice looked around, noting the empty beds and the fact that Nick was also sleeping. Outside, she could see that it was light - she had definitely missed a lot.

"Nick! Nick! Wake up!" She hissed, pushing back the covers and standing up, grabbing some clothes from inside the crate.

He batted a hand, rubbing his eyes and mumbling as he woke, glancing out of the open door at the bright glade as he rose and paling. "What's goin' on?"

"No idea. Get dressed and we'll go check."

Alice glanced in the mirror as she turned to rush from the room, pushing a hand through her hair in an attempt to tame it. She was right on Nick's heels as they stepped onto the grass of the glade to see each and every member of their group sitting, relaxing, on the ground near the gardens.

"What's happening?" Alice asked as the two approached, sitting on the ground and looking at them for an answer.

Clint was the one to speak - knowing that he could get away with it better than some of them. "We're tired, you two are as well. Neither of you have slept a full night since we got here. We need to rest for a bit. Just the day, to relax."

Nick raised an eyebrow at Alice, already won over. She raised one back, her expression blank, though he could see the amusement warring with disapproval in her eyes. "Fine. One day without work. Stay on the glade. Don't go in the maze. Okay?"

Alice cut in, "and if any of you even think about not waking us up in the morning, I'll lock you out for the night."

Newt, Clint, Theo and Terry shuddered at the reminder of their first nights on the glade, while Nick very barely suppressed his own. The girl watched them with a knowing smile.

When they agreed, the boy glanced at the girl beside him, a smile on his face, "did anyone save any breakfast?"

Frypan chuckled, "you were lucky. It's still warm."

It wasn't so bad, Alice thought as she lay back on the grass, head resting on her balled up sweater, looking up at the sky. She was disturbed by a gentle nudge to the shoulder, and looked up to see Nick sitting beside her, a delicate yellow flower in his hand, outstretched towards her.

Laughing quietly, she sat up, took it and gave him the biggest smile possible before looking back down at her crossed legs.

Nick held up his sketchbook, one filled with different drawings in different stages of completion, showing her the page he had turned to. It was opened to a new page, half way through drawing the boys who were running around in front of them, throwing a balled up sweater between them - Terry's she guessed, considering he was the only one either not wearing one or without it tied around his waist.

"Hey! That's cheating!" 

She grinned as Clint grabbed the makeshift ball, sprinting back towards the homestead with it tucked in his arms, a maniacal grin stretching across his tanned face. 

Newt ran after him, still the fastest, jumping and tackling him on the grass. He snatched the sweater, shooting off in another direction, laughing as he did so. 

The others gathered in a quick circle, thinking as one, surrounding the boy and gradually getting closer until he had no escape.

Laughter burst from the two watchers as Newt was piled upon, the boys tumbling onto and burying him. 

Nick's pencil scratched rapidly against the page while Alice watched the game proceed, twisting the yellow flower carefully between her fingers with a soft smile quirking her lips.

"Thank you." Alice broke the silence, turning to the boy beside her and giving him a blinding smile.

He smiled back, eyes warm and cheeks pink, "what for? I didn't do anything."

"For the flower. For sitting with me. For talking to me. For being here...we wouldn't be here without you, Nick. Thank you for everything." When she was finished, his eyes were wide and bright, his cheeks flushed.

"No problem, Alice. Thank you. We wouldn't be here if it weren't for you either, you know?"

When she shrugged, glancing back down at the flower in her hands, he slid closer until their shoulders were touching, placed his hand on her knee. "We're gonna get out of here, Ally. You're gonna figure this out, I know you will. We're gonna get out, and I'm going to take us somewhere nice and quiet and without walls...somewhere with these flowers. It'll happen. We'll be there together, and it'll be okay. I'll protect you."

He noticed the look on her face and amended his comment. "Or, you'll protect me. Of course."


End file.
